2014 World Cup – Getting Technical

So the 2014 World Cup final finished with no penalties, no great controversies and therefore no repeat of the usual question of ‘Would technology have got the right result’? There were of course though several bits of technology in use which were either new to the tournament or new to those who follow football in the UK. So lets take a bit of a look at how they did, and whether we’d want them in use worldwide.

Goal-line Technology

Goal line technology isn’t new to many parts of the world, we’ve seen it operating across Europe for quite some time now, but this was its first outing at the World Cup and it was of course Frank Lampard’s goal-not-goal at the South Africa World Cup which spurred the villain that is Sepp Blatter into supporting the idea.

So, how did it do? Did it miss anything? Were there any controversies?

Well it earned it’s keep, but not without a little media controversy along the way. Just four days into the World Cup France versus Honduras saw it come into use when Benzema’s shot cannoned off the keeper & appeared to cross the line, do you remember? So the goal-line technology replay was called into action and with the tension and nerves high it showed…’No Goal’. The crowds and fans started to get confused and angry, meanwhile the replay was continuing through the path of the ball and moments later it IS shown to cross the line and it then states Goal’. So it got it right, with a little confusion along the way, and the world cup was all the better for knowing that could be depended on if you ask me. What do you reckon? Let us know.

Vanishing Foam

The vanishing foam spray used was brilliant in my opinion, and lets hope it’s followed by introduction worldwide. The ref sprayed a line of foam to mark either the spot a free-kick was to be taken from or the 12 yards distance from the kick to indicate where defenders could be. it was excellent to see a clear indicator for this, though it was a shame that some of the refs were letting players push the rules a bit byt standing on the line rather than behind the line… and perhaps it’s a shame that no rebellious refs started spraying pictures on the pitch. I would have loved to see ‘Hello Mum’ appear in the middle of the pitch.

The World Cup Ball

Finally the World Cup ball, which this year was the Adidas Brazuca (which frankly sounds a bit like a bust-enhancing brassiere doesn’ty it?) Almost every World Cup these days seems to begin with a controversy about the super new techno-ball which is actually ridiculously skwivelly & sends the ball flying all over the place, which of course the goalkeepers hate as it’s like facing a beach-ball and some strikers (and FIFA) love because it increases the chance of ridiculous long-range shots going in and helping the hype along. This year however… it seemed fine! They took on board the previous criticisms it seems, adjusted it to be 6 panels and also thermally bonded it (apparently) and it did the job very nicely this year, so well done those football-making people! It does beggar the question though: why do we need a completely new type of football developing for every single World Cup?… oh yes sorry how could I forget: so they can make yet more money.